From: North Country Now
New York State’s “Cigarette Strike Force” seized $6.6 million worth of contraband tobacco so far this year, a $1 million increase compared with last year’s total, according to Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s office.
Untaxed cigars made up the bulk of these confiscations, according to the governor’s office. Investigators seized more than 1.5 million illegal cigars so far this year compared with 260,000 last year, a 476 percent increase. More than 47,000 cartons of untaxed cigarettes have been seized along with 134,000 counterfeit tax stamps and nearly $445,000 in cash, Cuomo’s office said.